No More Space for Airlines at P.G.I.A.
The Phillip Goldson International Airport is running out of space. This is according to Minister responsible for Civil Aviation, Manuel Heredia Junior. Belize’s only international airport has no more space to accommodate any more airlines looking to establish connections with Belize. According to Heredia, the government has plans to build two international airports; one in the south and the other in the north. But before those plans are finalized, the recommended solution is to use the second floor of the P.G.I.A.
Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Civil Aviation
“The details or the nuts and bolts of that have to be worked out because as you know there is a contract, an exclusivity contract, around which ties the Government of Belize into doing many things. Hopefully we can work together and see how best otherwise even the Placencia or the San Pedro might be in jeopardy because it says that any existing airline cannot be diverted or any new airlines – they have the first option of that one. If they have the money, it’s yet to be found. We have at this moment Placencia that is half way down the line and investor apparently says that he is almost ready to go into it. So that will be a challenge. The one in San Pedro, we already have an agreement signed with a group over there. They are working on their plans. We have yet to see what can be done because indeed if there is an agreement government has to honor it. We have to look as to also how that agreement is, how we can modify and so forth or if the concession company has the finances to look into this two other areas of development otherwise we will have to come to halt on airlines. That is not good for Belize, not good for the concession group, not good for everyone.”